Politics

Caravan migrants say men in vests were in charge

Who were the original organizers of the migrant caravan from Honduras? No one seems to know. Though some are pointing to Pueblo Sin Fronteras as one of the leaders, he completely denies it. Many have seen mysterious people wearing vests carrying megaphones during the exodus. These people seem like they want people to know who’s in charge.

How the caravan came to be and who led it to its current limbo depends on who you ask. Some say that there are no leaders, that the caravan acts as a united people.

Others say that they used to have leaders or still have leaders, pointing to either members of Pueblo Sin Fronteras — an organization that has escorted caravans of migrants to the U.S. border for years and joined this group as it reached Mexico — or caravan representatives working with the collective.

Meanwhile, Pueblo Sin Fronteras has adamantly denied being the leaders of the caravan, saying the group works to facilitate conversations between members of the caravan so that the caravan can make its own decisions.

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Julio César Esquivel Contreras, a 23-year-old from Guatemala with family in San Diego, joined the caravan because he thought it was well organized. On the journey, he followed instructions from people in vests carrying megaphones, he said. He hadn’t seen them after arriving in Tijuana.

[…]

Some caravan members noted that people with vests and megaphones periodically came through the camp at the sports complex Benito Juárez in Tijuana to announce meetings to try to organize.

Jose Franco, a 35-year-old from Honduras, said he heard about the meetings but didn’t bother going.